Inter Club Escaldes lose 2-0 to Mjällby AIF in UEFA Conference League debut

Inter Club Escaldes lost 2-0 to Sweden's Mjällby AIF in their historic debut in the UEFA Conference League league phase, a match decided by two isolated moments that punished the Andorran side's inexperience on the European stage.

Played at the Olimpia Stadium in Helsingborg—Mjällby's home ground is not eligible for European fixtures—the game was level for long stretches, with Inter, coached by Felip Ortiz, holding possession and pushing forward without finding the final ball. Neither side created much of note before the break, but the Andorrans were far from overawed in their first outing at this level, following a qualifying run through the summer that had already secured a place in the league phase.

The deadlock was broken on 54 minutes in circumstances that turned the game. Jilmar Torres gave the ball away in midfield, and when Javi Díaz failed to hold Jeppe Kjær's angled effort, Jacob Bergström reacted first to convert the rebound. Díaz, who had been Inter's hero in the final qualifying round against Drita of Kosovo—saving his side in the run-up to a penalty shootout—was left to rue the error that allowed the Swedes to take control.

Mjällby doubled their lead on 65 minutes from a corner. Captain Abdullah Iqbal delivered from the left and centre-back Axel Norén was given too much room to head home, effectively settling the match.

Inter kept searching for a first European goal until the end but could not find a way back. The match drew 2,691 spectators, and the win was Mjällby's first ever in European competition; both clubs were making their league phase debut, with the Swedish side having come through qualifying rounds of the Champions League and Europa League.

Ortiz praised his players for their effort, saying they had performed well in possession but lacked a cutting edge in the final third. He described the contest as very even and said his team had conceded through small details, adding that those details must be corrected because that is the nature of the Conference League.

Inter's next league phase fixture is at home on Thursday against Universitatea Craiova, to be played in Encamp, with a Multisegur Lliga match in between. Craiova drew 1-1 with Getafe on Wednesday, Assad Al-Hamlawi putting the Romanians ahead before Nemanja Gudelj equalised for the Spanish side.